Heights 46, Haddonfield 33

I had too much to do last night, in the way of updating records and finishing the stuff for Saturday's Varsity section, to even think about posting about this game, but I knew I'd have to come back to it today, however briefly.

Coaches complain about refereeing all the time, especially in this sport, but I almost always ignore them when it comes times to write the stories. Those of you who picked up today's edition or read the story online already know that I couldn't -- or at least I didn't -- do the same last night. Part of it was that both coaches were in off moods after the game. I couldn't figure out quite what Hamburger was upset about, but Mancini was seriously ticked. He's not normally a quote machine, and I was struggling to get him going, asking standard questions you ask a coach whose team just came up on the short end of a big game. The questions sound inane, and in point of fact they are inane, but they're really just ways to let the coaches say stuff like, "You know, it's a long season and it's not over. We'll get back to work tomorrow and try to learn from this. (Inset other team) deserved to win today, but I think we've got better games ahead of us. We'll take it one day at a time and hopefully things start to go our way." That's not the kind of answer I was getting from Mancini. All he really opened up about was the officiating, which I actually agree was a factor, especially in the first half. (I have a post or two about officiating in me, but that's for the future. For now, just know that I disagree with the annual uproar against WC5 for some very important reasons.) So while I would go a certain distance to protect a coach from what many would see as bad judgment, he didn't give me (or Pete from the Inky) much else to go with. And he wasn't all that civil, which didn't help either.

As I said, I'm not totally unsympathetic to Mancini's feelings. In fact, when I talked to Sam Carter and asked her how she turned the rebounding so hard in Heights' direction, she said something very much like, "I started pushing them down and it was a lot easier." Now, maybe she doesn't know she's not allowed to do that. It seems unlikely in a player of her skill and experience, but it definitely lends credence to a Mancini comment like, "(Carter) gets away with a lot."

Officials are human, however, and as entitled to a bad night as any player or coach, so I tried to stay away from specifics in the game story. I don't think it's any more fair to dwell on those mistakes as it would be to mention a girl bricking a couple foul shots that could have tied the game in the middle of the second quarter. Nobody was saying the refs at last night's game were out to get Haddonfield, they just didn't have the best night.

Carter played a nice game, and because somebody had mentioned she probably belonged on the list of All-SJ midyear candidates, I watched her a little more closely than I might have. She definitely has incredible ability, but I couldn't help thinking she should have been dominating that game. She was taller and bigger than anybody else out on the court. I know she had a sprained ankle, but she claimed it didn't bother her after warm-ups, and I'll give her a pass on running the floor for that anyway. She has very good hands to go with her strength, and she was able to do a lot of things one-handed, where most female players need two. At times, however, she needed two and used one anyway, and that's problematic when there are so many fundamentally sound girls out there. Overall, I think she has awesome promise, and could well dominate the league as a senior, even with a talent as bright as Meredith Kennedy on her own squad.

Refs or no, Kennedy was the star of the game last night. I was impressed as ever with her and Ryanne Donnellon, and the two girls may be forever linked in my mind after this. Donnellon's game seemed more about spot-up shooting and Kennedy's was about more getting to the basket, but I know both has each capability. I saw the same ability to be creative in traffic, perhaps with a little edge to Kennedy for a couple of truly awesome baseline drives. Donnellon's stroke from the outside is pretty, and when she made her first I thought she might never miss. But of course, she did. It happens to all shooters, even the great ones, which brings me to my final point.

When I talk about Haddonfield to other folks, one phrase keeps coming up: "They do what they do." And Mancini sort of said it himself in that excruciating post-game interview last night: "We are what we are." I know the Dawgs can shoot, but they've hit a very cold couple of weeks and I think, with the game in reach as late was halfway through the fourth last night, it might have been time to call an audible and try to get to the basket a few times. Donnellon was the only one doing it last night, and she was in foul trouble from the first quarter on. I never count shots, mostly because I can't do that and count rebounds and assists and steals at the same time, but partly because the stats would be ugly on most nights. But I wish I had counted the Haddonfield threes in the fourth quarter. I bet they took a three on more than half their possessions in the final period. Lupinski made one, but they had just one other field goal in the entire eight minutes.

Anyway, enough. I'm headed up to Florence tonight to see the Flashes take on Lailah Pratt and Palmyra. Florence could clinch a playoff berth with a win. Should be interesting. See you there.